The Spectacle Blog

The CBC is reporting that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will call upon Governor General David Johnston to dissolve parliament either on Sunday or Monday to schedule an election for October 19. Harper’s Conservative government has been in power since 2006 and gained a majority in the House of Commons in the last election in 2011.

The Texas Rangers appear to have won the Cole Hamels sweepstakes. What with Mets GM Sandy Alderson putting the kibosh on the Carlos Gomez-Zack Wheeler deal maybe Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. might be put into the same position.

The Milwaukee Brewers have traded outfielder Carlos Gomez to the New York Mets in exchange for infielder Wilmer Flores and pitcher Zack Wheeler.

The trade returns Gomez to the organization where he began his professional career. The Mets signed the Dominican born Gomez at the age of 16 in 2002. Gomez made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2007 (the year when the team blew a 7 game lead with two weeks left in the season and ceded the NL East to the Philadelphia Phillies). The Mets would trade Gomez to the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2008 season in the Johan Santana deal. Gomez did not live up to expectations in Minnesota and they would deal him to the Brewers prior to the 2010 season for shortstop J.J. Hardy who is now with the Baltimore Orioles.

It's the Senate that's causing all the trouble, but the House has decided it can't fathom not being the center of bad attention. As a showdown nears over the Export-Import bank and its connection to highway refinancing, Rep. Mark Meadows has filed a really out-of-place motion calling for ousting Speaker Boehner, even though pretty much no one but Mark Meadows thinks it's a good idea.

Over the objections of many local, state and federal legislators from the affected areas, in early July, President Barack Obama designated new national monuments in California, Nevada and Texas.

The designation of more than 1,000,000 acres of public lands as national monuments, foreclosed previously allowed commercial and recreational activities of those lands, leading some Republicans and local officials to accuse Obama of a backdoor land grab ignoring the interests of local residents.

Obama’s designation of Nevada’s Basin and Range site as a national monument was seen as a going away present to retiring Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who had been seeking monument status for the area for years. Obama also set aside more than 330,000 acres as the Berryessa Snow Mountain Monument in Northern California. In addition, the President established the Waco Mammoth National Monument, a comparatively small site in central Texas, where archaeologists have discovered remains of 24 Columbian Mammoths as well as the remains of other ancient species including the saber-toothed cat, dwarf antelope and the western camel.

Hillary Clinton claims to be the sole champion of women, advocating for feminist beliefs and rights against all those other sexist candidates. And in her mind, she is.

According to RedAlert Politics, Clinton referred to the GOP candidates as ‘those guys’ during a speech on Sunday, clearly forgetting about Republican candidate Carly Fiorina.

Most media outlets overlooked the slip-up. Instead, they chose to focus on Clinton’s plan to combat climate change — one that will be using our tax money as funding, by the way. Despite the lack of mainstream media coverage, ABC’s digital journalist Liz Kreutz was quick to pick up on the blunder and tweeted:

Yes, I was gone yesterday, because I was handling things that keep this site running. Because I'm nice like that. I like you to have things to read.

Anyway, I missed the Center for Medical Progress unveiling their third video, which is just as well, as it would have meant posting nearly ten minutes of graphic abortion and "harvesting" footage right over your breakfast period, including a video interview with an ex-procurement technician for StemExpress, who described the process in detail. A fourth video could drop today in a Texas regulatory hearing. Needless to say, the videos are horrifying, and while the process depicted is claimed to be legal, it's certainly morally questionable, if not ethically.

I knew the Philadelphia Phillies would trade closer Jonathan Papelbon. But I didn’t think he would be traded to the Washington Nationals.

But Papelbon is the Nats’ new closer and the Phillies have pitching prospect Nick Pivetta.

I don’t get this trade and I’m sure former Nats closer Drew Storen doesn’t get it either.

It’s not like Storen was struggling. In 38 appearances this season, Storen is 1-0 with a 1.73 ERA with 29 saves. Papelbon is 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA with 17 saves in 37 appearances. Don’t get me wrong. Papelbon's numbers are good for having pitched for the worst team in MLB. But Papelbon is seven years older than Storen (34 vs. 27) and making more than twice as much money ($13 million vs. $5.7 million). And yet the Nats have signed Papelbon through 2016 while Storen becomes a free agent and the Nats are apparently prepared to have him walk away. In the meantime, Storen will have to pitch the eighth inning.

Another of Larry Thornberry's old Tampa Bay Rays favorites has been traded away by the Oakland A's.

Last week, it was Oakland dealing Scott Kazmir to Houston. Today, the A's have dealt super utility man Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals for minor league pitchers Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks.

Originally a 6th round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 2004, Zobrist was traded to Tampa in July 2006 in the Aubrey Huff deal. Zobrist would become a mainstay in the Rays lineup for nearly a decade, is a two-time ALL All-Star and was a key contributor to their AL pennant triumph in 2008. His best season came in 2009 when he hit .297 with 27 HR and drove in 91 runs. He also played on Rays teams which reached the post-season in 2010, 2011 & 2013.

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